Zbe IReicin ot tbe ITmmortals 203 



method in their nuiirerous sharp, finely-divided 

 leaves, which Ave call needles. How are these pro- 

 tective ? The tough, needle-like leaves and roughly 

 scaled stems are uninviting to animals, but their 

 chief value is as against snow. Early snow-storms, 

 coming before the autunm leaves have fallen, weigh 

 down the branches until they are broken, and often' 

 whole trees are destroyed. The evergreens of cold 

 climates all have polished, much-divided leaves, and 

 the snow passes between them, or falls readily from , 

 them, so that they are far less likely to be destroyed 

 by storms than are trees with broader leaves. The 

 evergreens of the tropics, on the other hand, usually 

 have very broad leaves. There is a " reason why" 

 in all things if we will but look it up. 



These trees about us in the winter woods have 

 made preparations for winter, some retaining foliage 

 and securing it from harm, others providing for its 

 fall without injury to the tree. The trees that shed 

 their leaves formed at the base of the leaf-stems 

 certain empty thin-walled cells. When the activity 

 of the plant perished these cells quickly decayed, 

 allowing the leaves to drop off with a clear, clean 

 cut, while the bud for next year remained uninjured 

 above the scar. This empty cell provision is not 

 made by the evergreens. 



As we saw in the pine, numerous leaves, bound to- 



